➤REVIEW: Resident Evil 3 is an almost perfect combination of action and horror 🕹

De volta a Raccoon City
New (old) zombies
Run Nemesis is coming!
unnecessary multiplayer
When the original really is better

Resident Evil 3 was the title of the time it entered the series of remakes that Capcom is developing this famous franchise of the company. But after the success that Resident Evil 2 had last year, the sequel can stand out too. Yes and no. While Resident Evil 3 is a perfect homage to a classic of the horror genre in the gaming world with a well-measured dose of action, the game leaves something to be desired in some factors.

Techlifers had access to a copy provided by Capcom de Resident Evil 3 guidance on PlayStation4 and after a few days of killing zombies and running away from Nemesis, we bring you a complete breakdown of the base game and multiplayer experience. Resident Evil Resistance accompanying the remake.

De volta a Raccoon City

In the same way that the original game, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, was released just a year after Resident Evil 2, back in 1999, now is the perfect time for the remake to come out. However, when compared to the original, which represented a big leap in quality, gameplay and story compared to the second game in the series, this remake lags far behind its modern-day predecessor.

But that's not to say that the Resident Evil 3 remake is necessarily bad, as it is actually very good. Jill Valentine's new model (with obvious inspirations from Lara Croft from the new Tomb Raider games) is impressive. His desperate attempt to escape Raccoon City while the relentless monster Nemesis is hot on his heels creates a narrative that grips the player at every scene.

REVIEW: Resident Evil 3 is an almost perfect combination of action and horror — Jill Valentine is more beautiful (and deadly) than ever in Resident Evil 3

Unlike the original game, some plot elements were reshaped so that Jill didn't have all the spotlight on her the entire time in the game. Carlos Oliveira, the mercenary of Umbrella who saves Jill multiple times, rose to prominence in the remake with extended sessions where the player plays as him. This makes the game (considered by many too linear) a little more comprehensive by showing that there are more than one person fighting for their own life to escape this zombie apocalypse.

It's also important to highlight how beautiful Resident Evil 3 is. THE RE Engine – the graphics engine used by Capcom since Resident Evil 7 – creates incredible levels of detail throughout the game, making the world of Raccoon City, its characters and its dangers more alive than ever. In addition, the experience is more immersive now that elements of the scenery react more to the player, such as stepping on broken glass, creaking wooden boards and even the wind that makes papers fly.

However, Resident Evil 3's biggest problem is how brief this entire experience is. It is possible to finish the main campaign of the game in about 5 to 6 hours. Perhaps one of the main reasons the game is so short is the focus more on action than on horror, like its predecessor. Make no mistake, the scares and suspense are still present here, just in smaller sections like walking through dark sewers or the silent hallway of an abandoned hospital.

“The Re Engine creates incredible levels of detail throughout the game, making the world of Raccoon City, its characters and its dangers more alive than ever before”

In the end, Resident Evil 3 players spend more time blasting zombies and monsters than watching every step they take. In addition, thanks to the new mechanic to dodge the enemies are less threatening than in Resident Evil 2. If you manage to dodge perfectly, you can still perform a counterattack that eliminates the enemy on the spot! Not to mention the arsenal of heavy weapons like rocket launchers and assault rifles that Jill and Carlos have access to.

Perhaps the biggest challenge that the player will have in the game will not be surviving the zombies that infest Raccoon City, but knowing how to manage the limited spaces in your inventory to know which ammunition and weapons to carry. In Resident Evil 3 your biggest fear is not running into the Nemesis, but running out of ammo to fight.

New (old) zombies

Capcom made some curious decisions regarding the remake's plot and pacing. At the beginning of the game you start in Jill's apartment just as Nemesis begins its relentless hunt and forces our heroine to go to the devastated streets of the city. In the first hour of the game you spend a lot of time in the center of Raccoon City trying to find a way to get the trains to work again.

In contrast to the police station in Resident Evil 2, the city of Raccoon City has wider spaces and, even with zombies everywhere, there are not few objects in the environment that can help you survive such as explosive barrels and electrical generators. . However, although this world seems more “open”, it is incredibly small. You can even explore some buildings and rooms that were inaccessible in the original game, but the experience of interacting with the city is just that.

Returning to the police station is a really cool moment for anyone who has played Resident Evil 2, as the third game takes place within hours of the second game. It's interesting to see how the story unfolded before Leon arrived at the beginning of the previous game.

“Resident Evil 3 remake has become an even more linear adventure than the original game”

Definitely a change that didn't even please me and most fans was the remodeling of the Clock Tower section. While in the original game this area was a contrast to the downtown killing spree with its unique architecture and various puzzles, in the remake it was transformed into a boss battle against Nemesis. It seems like the developers were trying to rush the player into the story, rather than maintaining the quality of the source material.

And speaking of puzzles, they are almost non-existent in the remake. There are only a few to solve and they don't require much effort. The games in the series have always been famous for their puzzles and, since they are present in Resident Evil 2, it's just not understandable why Capcom reduced them in Resident Evil 3.

Thanks to these gameplay and plot changes, the Resident Evil 3 remake has become an even more linear adventure than the original game. Even if you spend a lot of time retracing your steps looking for secrets and easter eggs, it's hard to get lost.

Run Nemesis is coming!

Nemesis is the main villain of the game (no wonder his name was part of the game's original title). However, not even his diverse forms and his constant pursuit of Jill can overcome Mr. X in Resident Evil 2. Perhaps the only sessions in the game where he is able to make players desperate are in downtown Raccoon City. However, he can't really scare. While Mr. X had a more imposing and dark presence, Nemesis can only be annoying for most of the game.

Some new mechanics have been added to the villain like the ability to jump in front of you even when you are way ahead of him. However, even in these cases it is still not difficult to run away from the creature. Almost all the sequels involving Nemesis are already designed in advance to lead the player to a safe place, so the element of terror and fear is not as strong as in the endless chases of Mr. X in the previous game.

All these elements mentioned: the pacing, the progression, the actions of Nemesis, all contribute to a feeling that the Resident Evil 3 remake has arrived too soon. Even though Resident Evil 2's campaign can also be completed in a few hours, at least in this game you can play with two different characters that change different elements of the gameplay, while in Resident Evil 3 the most players can experience is switching between Jill and Carlos in some sequels.

“While Mr. X had a more imposing and dark presence, Nemesis can only be annoying for most of the game”

That said, is there any replayability factor in it like in the previous title? Well, there are the hellish difficulty sections for those more hardcore fans of the franchise. Also, in all game modes, the knife doesn't break, so you can try to get to the end just using it. Also, as soon as you beat the game for the first time, a shop opens and allows you to get custom clothes for Jill and other extra options if you complete certain in-game challenges.

unnecessary multiplayer

One last point we need to mention is the extra content that comes with the base game: Resident Evil Resistance. This asymmetrical multiplayer survival horror game of the 4v1 pits four players to escape the traps of a player acting as a villain, the Mastermind. The group of survivors must coordinate their actions to escape this nightmare alive while the Mastermind must devise the best way to position enemies and traps to execute his victims.

When it was possible to find a match – as the servers were extremely slow and it was not uncommon to experience crashes during matches – it was an interesting experience, but very confusing to play with random users as it was difficult to organize the team's actions in times of tension. Maybe the game is more fun with friends together, but we believe it's not something worth investing a lot of time in or providing more fun than the base game.

When the original really is better

In the end, it may seem that the criticism is too heavy for Resident Evil 3, after all this game arrives just a year after a fantastic remake of the second game and expectations were very high. Jill is a very interesting character and she shines through the entire adventure. The nostalgic feeling is cozy, even if hampered by some script and gameplay changes. Perhaps the biggest problem of all with this remake was taking inspiration from source material that wasn't all that impressive and innovative in 1999.